Kerry To Meet Iranian Foreign Minister This Week

The U.S. State Department says Secretary of State John Kerry plans to travel to Geneva for a May 30 meeting with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for another round of nuclear talks.

Spokesman Jeff Rathke said on May 27 that Washington believes the world powers and Iran can reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement by an end-of-June deadline.

Kerry and Zarif last met in New York in late April.

Iran and six world powers -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- are negotiating an accord aimed at getting Iran to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

The six want limits on Tehran's programs that could have a military use. Tehran denies it is pursuing such weapons.

Rathke also said Kerry will attend a Paris meeting on June 2 to "review progress on the full range of our shared efforts to degrade and defeat" the Islamic State group.